New England Invasive Species Network

New England Invasive Species Network
Name	New England Invasive Species Network
Formation	2004
Type	Nonprofit consortium
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Region served	Connecticut; Maine; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Rhode Island; Vermont
Leader title	Executive Director

New England Invasive Species Network is a regional consortium coordinating invasive species prevention, detection, and management across the six-state New England region. The Network convenes state agencies, federal partners, academic institutions, tribal governments, conservation nonprofits, and community groups to align strategies for species such as Phragmites australis, Lythrum salicaria, Ailanthus altissima, Didymosphenia geminata and Hemlock woolly adelgid. It serves as a clearinghouse for standards, training, and funding that link local projects to national programs like the National Invasive Species Council, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Agriculture initiatives.

Overview

The Network functions as a coalition that brings together stakeholders from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and Vermont Agency of Natural Resources with federal entities including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and United States Forest Service. It supports collaboration among academic partners such as University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Connecticut, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, Brown University, and University of Vermont and nonprofit partners including The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Conservation Law Foundation.

History and Formation

Formed in 2004 through meetings hosted by New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference participants and grant awards from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Smithsonian Institution-linked programs, the Network drew early support from conservation organizations like National Wildlife Federation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Foundation, and academic centers including Harvard Forest and Yale School of the Environment. Early convenings included representatives from regional bodies such as the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Northeast Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems, and tribal affiliates like the Penobscot Nation, Mohegan Tribe, and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include rapid response protocols modeled on guidance from the National Invasive Species Council and training delivered with partners such as Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Cornell University Cooperative Extension. Initiatives cover early detection networks linked to USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species databases, aquatic invasive species outreach referencing Sea Grant programs at University of Rhode Island and Connecticut Sea Grant, terrestrial invasive plant control demonstrations with Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and citizen science platforms built with iNaturalist and eBird integration coordinated alongside Mass Audubon and Vermont Center for Ecostudies. The Network has run ballast water and hull fouling outreach linked to United States Coast Guard regulations and collaborated on forest pest responses with International Society of Arboriculture and Society of American Foresters.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding partners have included federal grantmakers like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal Zone Management Program, USDA Forest Service grants, and private funders such as The Conservation Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Lemann Foundation. Partnerships span academic research from Dartmouth College and Harvard University labs, municipal conservation commissions including those in Portland, Maine and Providence, Rhode Island, tribal environmental offices, and national NGOs like Defenders of Wildlife and World Wildlife Fund US. The Network coordinates regional grant programs in collaboration with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative-linked environmental funds and philanthropic donors including Monarch Joint Venture supporters.

Regional Impact and Case Studies

Case studies document eradication or suppression efforts for species like European green crab, zebra mussel, Asian long-horned beetle, brown spruce longhorn beetle, and invasive plants at sites including Cape Cod National Seashore, Acadia National Park, Green Mountain National Forest, White Mountain National Forest, and Narragansett Bay. Collaborative responses with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies have reduced infestations in municipal parks, wetlands, and freshwater lakes monitored by programs at Maine Highlands research sites and Quinebaug-Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor initiatives. Econometric assessments referencing work by Brookings Institution-linked researchers and regional economic studies from New England Public Policy Center quantify avoided costs for fisheries, forestry, and tourism sectors.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The Network is governed by a steering committee comprising representatives from state invasive species councils, university extension services such as Cornell Cooperative Extension affiliates, tribal enviromental directors, and NGO partners. Operational staff coordinate through working groups focused on aquatic invasives, terrestrial plants, forest pests, public outreach, and policy, with transactional support from entities including Institute for Social and Environmental Transition-affiliated experts and administrative hosting by partner institutions like Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game programs or university research centers.

Challenges and Future Directions

Major challenges include climate-driven range shifts documented in studies from National Climate Assessment and pest pathways amplified by international shipping routes involving ports like Port of Boston, Port of Portland (Maine), and Port of Providence. The Network aims to scale surveillance using remote sensing partnerships with NASA Landsat and NOAA CoastWatch, expand genomic monitoring through collaborations with Broad Institute and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory-linked researchers, and strengthen policy alignment with the Lacey Act and regional regulatory frameworks coordinated with state legislatures and governors. Future directions emphasize equity in engagement with tribal governments, municipal partners, and underserved communities such as those identified in Boston Mayor's Office outreach, and adoption of adaptive management informed by meta-analyses published in journals like Ecological Applications and Biological Invasions.

Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States